To create and sustain rigor:

Connections, Organizations & Management

Emphasize Respect and Connectedness
o Establish Routines and Rituals
o Cultivate Respectful and Reciprocal
Interactions

Publish Boundaries & Expectations for
Engagement and Learning
o Plan for & Protect a Safe and Orderly Learning
Environment
o Genuinely Invite Student Voice in the Creation
and Assessment of Learning Opportunities

Actively Promote Varied and Equitable
Opportunities for Participation
Intrinsic Motivation + Intentional Instruction = Rigorous & Culturally Responsive
Learning Environment
Commit to Student Understanding
Use Specific, Intentional, Varied & Effective Teacher Strategies in
Communicating Ideas to Make Learning Accessible to Students
Acknowledge & Build on Students Funds of Knowledge to Teach
Students to Recognize Their Strengths


To create & sustain rigor:
Connections

Note & Honor Students Experiences,
Interests, & Concerns.

Maintain a Positive Disposition Toward
Learning

Encourage & Expect Success

Learning is Immediately Relevant to
Student Lives, Interests, & Futures

Support Students in Cultivating &
Navigating Positive Peer Relationships

To create and sustain rigor:
Goals

Design Novel and Inspired Academic
Experiences

Create Clear and Consistent Criteria for
Success, Paired with Models or Anchor
Works when Appropriate

Co-Create Rubrics, Eliciting Student Voice
and Participation

Be Creative & Artful in Collecting Evidence
of Learning

Foster Advocacy & Agency

Publish Work Within & Beyond the Group


To create and sustain rigor:
Work

Inspire and Evoke Interest

Command and Maintain the Learners
Attention by:
o Intentional Planning of Challenging Activities
o Engaging All Students in Meaningful Work
o Assessing Participation and Learning

Build on Students Prior Knowledge

Expose, Explore, and Discuss Insider &
Outsider Perspective

Differentiate Challenge, Pace, and Workload
According to Knowledge of Student Attributes
Ailene Baxter & Rachel Johnson, 2010